Finn Balor On Returning At The Royal Rumble And WrestleMania, Timing Of His Shoulder Injury

While traveling to London for the WWE UK Championship Tournament announcement, Finn Balor spoke with ESPN. Here are some of the highlights:

His current return timetable:

"You know, that's obviously a huge rumor, and I would never be one to fuel the rumor mills," he said with a smile, "But to be a surprise entrant in the Rumble would be a huge moment for me. I'm sure it would create quite a buzz," he said. "But right now with the condition my shoulder is in, I'm not willing to risk sustaining any more long-term injury, just for the sake of two or three weeks. Since I got hurt, it was six months [out]. The target was to be back for WrestleMania. Everything's on plan, everything's on schedule."

One way he would do the Royal Rumble:

"If the day of the Royal Rumble, Vince McMahon says, 'You got your gear with you?' Then I'm sure I'll be around," he said with a smile. But, pointing to his injured shoulder, he added: "It's not something I want to risk unless I'm 100 percent confident that this is 100 percent."

"I've been wrestling full-time for 10 years. It's unfortunate. I wish it didn't happen. But it has, and you can't change the past. You've gotta make a positive out of the negative, and I think I've learned a lot about myself in the last couple of months, about what I value. I'm gonna come back a lot more rounded and focused than I was before. I'm excited about the Finn Balor that's going to come back, as opposed to the Finn Balor that I left behind."

Finn also spoke about getting back in front of a crowd after being gone and traveling the world. You can read the full interview by clicking here.